Kaine Warns Trump Against War With Iran: “Our Troops Are Not Your Pawns"

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tonight, on MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, warned President Trump against starting a war with Iran. In the interview, Kaine criticized Trump for pulling out of the nuclear deal that was effectively restricting Iran’s nuclear capabilities and slammed the Trump Administration for inflammatory actions that could lead to an unnecessary war.

“Our troops are not your pawns. This isn’t toy soldiers that you move around a table. These are living, breathing, feeling people. Virginia is a very military state. I have a kid in the military. When you talk about, and it comes out: 125,000 troops in the Middle East – the President may think that’s a bluff, but do you know what that does to military families who have already seen their members deployed over and over again into the Middle East?” Kaine said.

“All of our allies including the Brits said stay in the Iran deal. Then Secretary Tillerson, then Secretary Mattis, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joe Dunford, the IAEA. They all said the Iran deal was working. And so, I mean, this is a sad situation where it wasn’t Iran that broke down the diplomacy that was keeping their nuclear program one that was not producing weapons. It was the U.S. that broke the diplomatic deal,” Kaine continued.

You can watch video of the interview here: https://timkaine.box.com/s/u03fxu6fpe25emqtw4oidvzx8u8snx9a

For years, Kaine has been the leading voice in Congress raising concerns over Presidents’ efforts to expand the use of military force without congressional authorization. He penned a piece in the Atlantic in July of 2018 warning against the Trump Administration starting a war with Iran. Kaine has introduced updated authorizations for the use of military force (AUMFs) to repeal the 2001 and 2002 authorizations, reassert Congress’ role in authorizing military action, and take away the blank check that multiple Presidents have used to fight wars across the globe.

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